


Maiwand Mockery

by Loremaiden



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Community: watsons_woes, Early in Canon, Gen, Maiwand, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7368748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loremaiden/pseuds/Loremaiden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Britain's loss was his gain.  Until it wasn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maiwand Mockery

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to JWP 2016 #2 (Roll The Dice) on Watson's Woes.
> 
> Roll The Dice: Have a character take a risk, whether it's a calculated or a foolhardy one.

God bless Maiwand.

I was making some coin beggin', but not nearly enough. The false sob stories I would sell to the people might get me a few coppers, but more often I would get the brush-off, or chased away by the bobbies.

Then people started talkin' of this battle in Afghanistan or wherever the hell, and my fortune changed overnight.

A fake limp and a forlorn face got me nowhere before, but once I added that magic word—I still don't know if I'm pronouncin' it right, but neither does anyone else so what's it bloody matter?—the shillings have been flowin' like water for the past two years. And it ain't just money, neither. Fair ladies weep for little ol' me. Toffs will go out of their way to shake my hand and buy me a good meal. People who make honest livins' give me pints and we toast the Queen's good health well into the night. Even the peelers look the other way now.

So it's another glorious morning and another fresh catch as I eye up my first fool of the day.

Huh. This one might be tricky. He's a doctor, Gladstone and all, but he's definitely got the air of a real soldier. Am I bitin' off more than I can chew here?

...It's a bit risky, but why not? He'd probably be right glad to help his fellow mate, an' from what I remember, barely anyone survived that mess.

I mean, what are the odds he was actually there?


End file.
